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A decision on whether an adult-entertainment club can open Downtown in the Warehouse District
was delayed yesterday.

The Downtown Commission decided to table a request for a certificate of appropriateness for the
club on N. 5th Street. Commission members said they want to consult with city attorneys.

“We need a clear understanding of what we can and can’t do,” commission member Otto Beatty Jr.
said.

Charles Fischer and Tiffany Ranalli want to open what Fischer has called a gentlemen’s club at
the site of a former gay bar just north of Spring Street, near professional offices and other
businesses.

Before they can do that, they need the Downtown Commission’s approval. Columbus city code
requires that adult-entertainment sites be located in districts zoned for manufacturing, which
Downtown is.

Fischer, who is seeking a liquor license, said dancers at the club would wear pasties and
G-strings or bikini bottoms. “I’m trying to follow all the rules,” he said.

Several community leaders and residents voiced their opposition to the club at the meeting
yesterday. Some argued that all of Downtown is a residential district; city code prohibits adult
venues within 250 feet of a district zoned residential. Others say it could threaten property
values.

“I just think the city can do better than this,” said Downtown resident Natalie Marsh.

In an email to
The Dispatch, Nationwide Realty Investors spokeswoman Tina Guegold wrote that the club “is
certainly inconsistent with plans for a vibrant Downtown.”

Fischer, 30, who said he studied human ecology and business at Ohio State University, said he
plans no major changes to the exterior of the building, other than changing the color of the awning
from red to black. Possible names for the club? The Red Room or the Blue Room.

Some commission members said they are concerned that the city’s definition of adult
entertainment allows too great a variety of activities. City code defines adult entertainment as “
persons who appear in the nude” and live performances that include “the simulation of specified
sexual activities.”

Fischer said he plans to bring a lawyer to next month’s hearing to plead his case.